


The Visit

by nothingeverlost



Category: The Good Wife (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-26
Updated: 2014-02-26
Packaged: 2018-01-13 20:34:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1239892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nothingeverlost/pseuds/nothingeverlost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>" I might have to leave the country.  Or fake my own death.”  He looked flustered, and though she’d seen it before it was usually only in regards to herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Visit

“I have to cancel our date for Friday.” It was supposed to be a simple lunch, an hour the two of them had squeezed into two busy schedules. Today it was in Natalie’s office, but Eli hovered in the doorway, a bag of takeout in one had.

“Emergency at the governor's office?” Natalie guessed.

“That’s too simple. I might have to leave the country. Or fake my own death.” He looked flustered, and though she’d seen it before it was usually only in regards to herself. Eli was normally in control of even the most daunting of situations. Honestly it made her feel more settled in their relationship, knowing that she could throw him so easily. He’d told her once that he lied twenty-four hours a day but it hurt to lie to her. That mattered.

“Why don’t you come in and close the door before you catch everyone’s attention.” Not that she minded, but for being in the public eye he was very particular about his private life being private. “Then you can tell me what’s going on.”

“Have you ever been to Shanghai? I hear it’s beautiful this time of year. We should take a trip together. It’s good for a relationship to travel, isn’t it? I think Marissa told me that once.” The door clicked behind him, but Eli didn’t sit down. Natalie was going to get dizzy watching him, not to mention hungry considering the smells from the bag of food.

“Eli, just tell me what’s happening on Friday.” She caught him by the tie, pulling him closer. making him stand still. Her hand slid up to cup his cheek. “But first you should probably breathe.”

“My mother just called. Apparently she’s invited herself to stay at my place for a week while she’s in town. She gets in Friday,” Eli explained.

“I understand that could be stressful, but she’s family. When’s the last time you saw her?” Other than Marissa, Natalie hadn’t met anyone in Eli’s family and rarely heard him speak about them.

“I went back to New York for a weekend during Hanukkah. My mother likes the east coast. She never comes out her, but all the sudden she’s decided she needs to see Chicago.” Eli raked a hand through his hair. 

“Maybe it’s not the city but the people in it.” She certainly didn’t get to see her family as much as she would like to, the last few years.

“You don’t understand, she’s been talking to Marissa.”

“I talk to my abuela every Sunday.”

“Yes, but my daughter is, well she’s my daughter. My mother was asking her things and I don’t know how this happened but apparently Marissa told her that I’m engaged. And we’re living together. So she’s expecting to spend a week at my apartment with me and my fiance.” Eli’s mouth puckered up in the way it did when he had to tell her something that he would usually avoid telling people. 

“Oh.” They hadn’t talked about spending a night together yet, let alone anything more permanent. “She thinks we’re engaged?”

“My mother does, or at least she thinks I’m engaged to someone. Apparently Marissa didn’t name names. I’m sorry, I guess my mother brought up Vanessa and for some reason Marissa got defensive about something she said about me not able to hold onto a relationship and…”

“And she was defending her dad. Daughters do that, you know, when they love their papas very much.” It was good to know that Eli had someone like that in his corner. She’d met so many of his coworkers, but so few real friends. He needed people in his life that cared about him, not what he could do for them.

“Yeah.” He smiled bemusedly. “But it does put me in a pickle.”

“You know there’s an easier option than running from the country, right?”

“Faking my death seems a little complicated, though it would be nice to see who did my eulogy.”

Natalie hit his upper arm. “That’s not funny.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” His lips brushed against her forehead. “I could tell her the truth.”

“You could.” She was going to find out sooner or later.

“Or you could pretend to live with me for a week and be my fiance.”

“I could.”

“What?” Eli stared at her. She stared back, almost as surprised by what she’d said.

“It’s only for a week, right? And it’s not a total lie. I am your girlfriend.” It was a terrible idea. They’d barely started dating. Though there’d been a few heavy make out sessions they hadn’t made love. It was a really bad idea.

But Eli was smiling and the tension had fallen from his shoulders. “You would do that?”

“I might be a terrible person to live with. You might be glad after a week that it’s only pretend.” She couldn’t help but grin, though. For a week, at least, there would be more than stolen hours a few times a week. And if she was lucky Mrs. Gold would have some baby pictures she could tease Eli about. “But I’m going to be a really terrible person if I don’t eat, so hand over the food and no one gets hurt.”

“There’s not a single terrible thing about you.” Eli handed her the take out, but first he cupped her chin and thanked her with a kiss.


End file.
